


I Love To Live (And I Live For You)

by yourhoboswitness



Category: Game Grumps
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, Established Relationship, F/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Teen Angst, Teenage Rebellion, egoflap - Freeform, none of this happens in a high school but they're all around that age
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-07
Updated: 2015-12-07
Packaged: 2018-05-05 09:44:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5370686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yourhoboswitness/pseuds/yourhoboswitness
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“You snuck out?” Arin asked. </p><p>Suzy smiled unconcerned. “I think Danny’s badboy lifestyle is rubbing off on me,” she laughed.</p><p>“What, I’m not a badboy?” Arin asked.</p><p>“Sure you are, Mr. Hello Kitty pants,” Danny giggled.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Love To Live (And I Live For You)

**Author's Note:**

> This is not meant to be accurate to how Arin and Suzy met or knew each other as kids. that's why it's an AU.

“Quick, hide!”

Arin didn’t need to be told twice. As soon as he heard him coming up the stairs and calling her name, he knew it was his cue to run into the closet. He was good at it too, considering how often he did it.

“Suzy!” he heard her father call again, opening her bedroom door. “Sweetie, can you take your laundry downstairs?”

“Yup, got it,” she said standing up, bending down to pick up random clothes from the ground. She was always much more nervous than Arin was about lying. Her boyfriend was often worried about how obviously anxious she would be, and surprised her dad didn’t catch on that someone was hiding in their house.

“What happened to you? You’re usually so organized.”

Suzy just nodded at her father, shrugging at the question. Even though she liked to stay organized, her room always seemed to have things lying around where they shouldn’t be when Arin visited. His clutter was just another part him that she loved though.

She picked up a dirty shirt that was much too big for her, and her eyes widened as she realized that it wasn’t hers. She looked up at her dad, but he was already turning his head from the doorway, going to probably tell Suzy’s other siblings to pick up their clothes, not noticing the her boyfriend’s shirt in hand.

Arin smiled wide, and threw his head back with a silent laugh as she threw his shirt at him in the closet.

“Get your shit outta my room,” she whispered, matching his wide smile. Suzy and Arin were the kind of couple that had expressions that started becoming identical over time, just showing how long they had been together.

“Aw… but I like seeing you freak out like that.”

Suzy shook her head and picked up the rest of her clothes to take downstairs. When she went back into her room she saw him sprawled out on the bed, getting back into his comfortable place in between her numerous amount of pillows. Arin could have sworn her pupils dilated two centimeters when she saw him and closed her door as fast as she could.

“Arin, they could have seen you!” she whispered.

“Quit your worryin’ darlin’,” he said in a fake country accent, “They don’t call me Lightning Larry for nothing!”

Suzy sighed and shook her head, still looking at the door to make sure no one had heard them. “I’m serious. You drove 400 miles to get here…”

“...according to my GPS, it’s actually only 385.”

“You know what I mean,” she said, taking his hands in hers, causing him to sit up to face her more directly. “I never get to see you and I just don’t want to get in trouble.”

Arin gets it. He definitely didn’t mind as much as she did about having to sneak around and hide behind her parents back. To him it gave him this childish feeling, that made him feel young and rebellious. Ever since he dropped out of high school and got a job, his youth felt like it was diminishing. Despite only saving up for the 4 hour trip a few times the year, every moment he spent with her was worth it and gave him back the childhood he had been missing.

“I’ll be more careful… ugh.”

Suzy rolled her eyes and leaned forward to kiss him on the nose. “Thank you.”

And just like that the tension in the air was gone. The beautiful thing about Arin and Suzy was that their fights were never too serious and never drawn out. They lived miles away on opposites sides of Florida so they made sure to make every second they had together count.

They had met at an anime convention in Arin’s town that her older brother, Charlie, had driven her to. They exchanged phone numbers, and often spent whole nights up talking to each other. Suzy had never told her parents about Arin, since he was two years older than her and she wasn’t sure what they’d think of her being in a long-distance relationship.

Suzy smiled at her boyfriend. “Okay, so my family wants to go to dinner tonight.”

Arin sighed. “What am I gonna do all by myself?”

“I don’t think Danny would mind you coming over a little early.”

Dan Avidan was four years older than Suzy, and still somehow one of her best friends. He was in his senior year of high school, but lived by himself in a dinky studio that’s only perk was that there was a bathroom and occasionally the heat worked. They had met because he used to play dungeons and dragons with her older brother Charlie before he moved away. Suzy and Dan were better friends than he had been with her older brother. Arin didn’t know him that well, but spent that night at his place when he visited Suzy so she wouldn’t be as nervous.

“Babe… I don’t know. I don’t think he likes me that much.”

“What? Nah. I love you, so he loves you too.”

Arin wasn’t too sure that’s how it worked, but he just nodded, agreeing to go early.

Before the two could think, Suzy’s door quickly opened and they turned to face the person in the doorway.

Jean looked at her sister and looked Arin up and down. Surprised, she closed the door behind her and looked back at Suzy.

“How long has he been here?”

Arin was awestruck at how similar the two sisters looked. Suzy wore harsher make-up than her sister, but Jean looked like Suzy from some sort of alternate reality. The mood of the couple had shifted; Arin being noticeably nervous and Suzy just smiling at her sister.

“I told you to knock this weekend. You knew he was coming down.”

“How long has he been here?” she repeated.

Suzy shrugged. “A few hours.”

“I thought you said he stayed at Dan’s!”

“At night,” she said nonchalantly, looking over at Arin and tousling his hair. “What’s wrong with him being here right now?”

Jean looked back at Arin. “You’re gonna get us both in trouble.” Arin couldn’t tell if the statement was directed at him or Suzy, but it was obvious that she didn’t like him.

“Look,” Arin said, his heartbeat finally slowing down, “I was leaving right now anyway.”

“No!” Suzy said looking at him. “Wait until we go to dinner. No one will see you that way.”

“Dad said that we’re leaving soon,” Jean said looking at the ground. “Just hurry up and get ready.”

Jean turned around and left the room.

“Does the ‘you love me, so she has to love me too’ rule apply here?”

“Don’t mind Jean. She’s just worried.”

Arin knew it was best to trust her judgement on her own twin sister, and just shrugged it off. “Okay.”

Suzy smiled and kissed him once more before standing up. “Alright, I should probably go. Wait until the car pulls away from the driveway and head to Dan’s. I’ll try to meet you there later.”

Arin watched her leave the room and waited, following her instructions. Five minutes after their car pulled away Arin walked out of the back door of the Berhow house, and made his way over to Danny’s.

Despite not being in his hometown, Arin knew the walk from Suzy to Dan’s pretty well. Despite only being about a mile away, there was definitely a difference in neighborhoods. Dan lived in an apartment complex that Arin was never that comfortable being in alone. He was just glad he made it there before night. He walked past his own car in the parking lot, which he had dropped off before walking over to Suzy’s. Leaving it here was the safest way for her parents not to realize he was staying in their house. He dragged his fingers on the side before walking up to Dan’s door and knocking loudly.

He waited 30 seconds before knocking again. He could hear the tv on inside and was pretty sure he was just being ignored.

“Yo Dan, it’s Arin. Open up.”

Just before Arin was about to knock a third time, Dan opened his door and looked with half-open eyes at the man in front of him. “What time is it?”

“I think it’s almost 7? I don’t know man.”

Dan shook his head.

“...can I come in?”

Dan looked behind him and shrugged. “Yeah alright.” Danny turned around and plopped back down into the couch, picking up a game controller and going back to what he was doing.

Arin walked in and closed the door behind him. He looked at the tv that was just sitting on a small coffee table and the Xbox sitting on the ground next to it. He bent down next to his backpack of stuff and pulled out a pair of pink Hello Kitty pants.

“I don’t think I’m going out again tonight, so I think I’ll change right now.”

Danny nodded, barely acknowledging the other as he stared at the screen. Arin walked past him and headed toward the small bathroom in the corner of the apartment. Dan looked at him as he walked in front of the screen, finally realizing what he said. “I wouldn’t go in there if I didn’t have to, bro.”

Arin turned around confused, pajama pants in hand.

“It smells like shit in there, man. Something wrong with the plumbing. I only go in there in shit-emergencies. Otherwise change out here and pee in a bottle.”

Arin’s confused look didn’t change, but Danny went back to looking at the tv. With one hand he took a water bottle off the ground and shook it in the air. “Rinse it out after using it, please.”

Arin shook his head disgusted, but knew that he was only going to be here for a few days. He took off his pants and changed into his Hello Kitty pants, walking back in front of Dan to put his jeans in his backpack. He then walked over to Danny and sat on the couch next to him. He didn’t want to think about peeing in a bottle, nor the fact that there was only one room in this shitty apartment to do it in, so he decided to change the subject.

“So, what you playing?”

“Morrowind.”

Arin nodded. “I haven’t bought it yet. Is it any good?”

“Nah man, I’m playing it just ‘cause.” Dan laughs immediately, laughing at his own sarcasm.

Arin has no idea how to talk to Dan, since they don’t know each other that well and Arin wasn’t that good at talking to new people. They sit together silently, Arin watching Dan run around the map not really accomplishing much. They sit like that for a few hours before Danny speaks up again.

“Shit man, what time is it?”

Arin looks at the clock on the oven 15 feet away from them. “If that clocks right, about 10?”

Dan puts the controller down in his lap and rubs his temples. “Shit, I gotta work on some stuff.” He saves his game and puts the controller between himself and Arin. “You can play something if you want, since I have a lot of homework and no cable.” He leans down to a pile of books on the ground picks on up and a piece of paper with some writing already on it.

“Okay.” Arin’s happy to finally have something to do, since Suzy’s not here and he’s just spent the last hour doing nothing. He stands up and goes over to a pile of games on the floor under the coffee table holding the table. “Woah! You’ve got Link to the Past!”

Dan looks up from his book. “Yeah, man. If you know how to hook it up the SNES is under my bed.” Arin looks over to a bare mattress and walks over to it, pulling out a bunch of cords and the game system. He doesn’t bother Dan, but fiddles a bit trying to untangle all the wires before pulling it all out and setting the Super Nintendo on top of the Xbox. He hooks it all up and sits down back onto his place on the couch. A Link to the Past is one of Arin’s favorite childhood games and he’s surprised that Dan, the man that lives in a shitty little studio apartment in the middle of Florida that doesn’t have a working toilet has so many games to play. He plays for a while, Dan working on stuff beside him. Finally, Danny groans and looks up at the screen.

“Do you know anything about statistics?”

Arin shrugs. “You askin’ me for homework help, man?”

“That depends if you know anything about statistics,” he laughs. “If you’re failing too don’t help me.”

“I’m not in high school anymore. I got my GED.”

Danny looks over to Arin. “How old are you again, man?”

“Seventeen.”

“Ugh,” he groaned. “I’m so fucking jealous dude. I’m nineteen and still finishing up my senior year.”

Arin smiles, continuing to play the game, but slowing down. He focused more of his attention and what feels like the first real conversation he’s had with Dan since he’s gotten here.

“How’d that happen, man?”

“I’ve always hated school. I just wish I would have realized that getting held back a year would only make this hellhole longer.”

“Me too. My mom let me drop out since it wasn’t working out for me.”

“Yeah, I’m thinking about dropping out.”

Arin waited to say anything. “It’s spring?”

“Yeah, so?”

“Well, you’re so close. What’s the point of dropping out now?”

“I’m failing two of my classes. Unless I bring those grades up, I don’t get a fucking diploma anyway.”

Arin shakes his head. “That’s stupid, man. Don’t drop out of school.”

“Hypocrite.” Dan laughs.

Arin catches on that Danny laughs after anytime he says something that came out wrong or meaner than it sounded. The laughter filled the apartment, letting Arin know that it was still a light conversation.

“Plus,” Danny adds. “I only get so much money working part-time. I barely get anything to eat since I spend half my time at school.”

Arin waits for laughter that never comes. He glances over at Dan, and notices the way his shirt just hangs off of him, and how you can see his collarbone sticking out. Danny wasn’t lying. He really wasn’t getting enough to eat.

Arin never understood that struggle. He still lived with his parents, worked part-time at Blockbuster, able to save up every dollar he made to come and see Suzy and save up for eventually getting his own place. He knew that he’d be able to switch to full time easily, since he didn’t have any other responsibilities, like trying to finish high school.

“It’s only a few more months,” Arin tries.

Dan shakes his head. “Yeah well,” he looks down at the homework in his lap, “If I just understood fucking statistics!” He laughs again, leaning his head back into the couch.

Suddenly the two hear a quick knock on the door before Suzy lets herself into the apartment. “Hi guys!”

“Scuze, did you walk over here?” Dan asks anxiously.

“Yeah, I felt my dad getting a little suspicious so I couldn’t come over until he went to bed.”

“You snuck out?” Arin asked.

Suzy smiled unconcerned. “I think Danny’s badboy lifestyle is rubbing off on me,” she laughed.

“What, I’m not a badboy?” Arin asked, finally pausing the game.

“Sure you are, Mr. Hello Kitty pants,” Danny giggled.

Suzy laughed too and walked over to Arin and tousled his hair. She held up a bag in her hand. “I brought leftovers from dinner if you guys want to split them.”

Arin took the bag and looked inside. “What’d you get?”

“Barbeque.”

Arin couldn’t help but feel bad, remembering what Dan had said before. He scrunched up his face and tossed the bag over to Danny. “Gross. You take it, man.”

Dan didn’t notice the obvious lie, and started taking fries out of the bag and shoving them in his mouth.

“Ew Danny,” Suzy said. “Those are old, put them in the microwave.”

“Ha! You think I got a microwave? Do I look made of money?”

“Look at all the games you have!” Suzy said, pointing to the tower of games beside his tv. “That looks made of money to me.”

“First of all,” he said, his mouth still full of fries. “Most of my games are old as shit and would only sell for $10 at the most. Second of all, I’m not gonna sell my only form of entertainment for a fucking microwave.”

Suzy shrugged, letting it drop. “Fine, eat my gross cold leftovers.”

“Will do,” he said, smiling.

Suzy grabbed Arin’s hand. pulling him up from the couch. “We’re gonna go talk for a bit.”

Danny nodded. “You two kids have fun.” Suzy said something snarky, but he didn’t hear over the sound of the bag in his lap as he looked for more fries, and the sound of Suzy closing the door behind her.

Suzy pulled Arin behind her and she sat on the hood of his car, encouraging him to sit next to her. Arin was self-conscious as he noticed the car tip slightly as he added his own weight to the hood.

“Shit, my fat ass is gonna break the car.”

Suzy squeezed his hand and shook her head. “Don’t say that.”

“It’s true though.”

“No saying mean stuff about yourself. You’re beautiful, baby.”

Arin smiled. “You’re more beautiful.”

“This is not turning into a fight,” she laughed.

Arin was being honest though. He had never met someone that was as beautiful as Suzy Berhow. Everything about her smile and the way she looked at him, she looked at beautiful as the night sky they were sitting under. “I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

Suzy leaned back on the hood of the car, cuddling with him and looking at his face. “Where do you want to spend it?” she asked.

“I don’t know. I’d be happy anywhere with you.”

“Don’t get sappy with me Arin. Really. If _we_  could go anywhere, where would you want to be?”

Arin thought about it. “How about California?”

She smiled. “Los Angeles.”

“Where we could do whatever we wanted.”

“I would model. And I’d work for all the big stores in the city.”

“You’re face would be all over the billboards.” His voice goes deeper, pretending to be an announcer. “‘Suzy Berhow: She wears prada and so now so should you.’”

“I don’t think that’s how modeling works silly,” she laughs. “And you’d obviously be voice acting. You’d probably become the newest transformer.”

“And I don’t think that’s how auditions work,” he says, matching her speaking voice.

They lay there, their dreams bigger than the stars they’re staring at in the beautiful night sky.

“I wish we could just go there,” Suzy says. “That we could just do whatever we wanted.”

“In California, or anywhere else for that matter, we wouldn’t have to do all this sneaking around.”

“That’ll be so nice. I’m tired of feeling like it’s wrong for loving you.”

“It’s only a few more years.”

“Yeah, but I’ve known you for only one year, and it feels like we’ve been dating forever. I don’t know how much longer I can wait.”

“I know.”

Eventually Danny walks out of the apartment and looks at the couple sitting on the car. “Alright Suzy, I’m tired and don’t want you walking alone. You can see your boyfriend tomorrow.”

Suzy sits up and looks down at Arin. My dad leaves for work at 9. So just come by after that so I can sneak you in.”

The couple kisses each other goodbye, and Danny starts walking with Suzy toward her house.

“Hey you want me to come?”

“Nah man, I like walking alone at night. Plus you already made the trip once today, I won’t make you do it again.”

Arin shrugs and walks inside the apartment, closing the door behind him. He sits on the couch and notices the bag of leftovers in Danny’s seat, the bag completely empty. He’s glad he gave Dan the bag. He then looks over at the tv and notices that Danny continued the game where he had left off. And he actually got some progress, unlike himself.

He stands up and makes his way toward the bathroom. Upon opening the door a stench worse than he could ever imagine smacks him the nose like a brick wall. He turns away and immediately closes the door. He looks at the water bottle on the ground next to the couch and sighs. “I can’t believe he was serious about that,” he whispers to himself.

* * *

“Where have you been?”

Suzy looks up at her sister as she’s walking up the stairs after her walk with Dan. “I went to see Danny and Arin for a little bit.”

“You’re gonna get us in trouble.”

“If we keep talking about this out here, yeah.” Suzy walks towards her room, nodding for Jean to follow behind her. They close the door behind themselves and sit on the bed. “Jean, what’s wrong? Really?”

Jean shuffles her feet, looking at the shirt Arin forgot _again_ on Suzy’s floor. “You used to tell me everything.”

Suzy’s expression changes into a frown.“I do tell you everything.”

“No, you tell _him_  everything.”

“Do I sense jealousy in your voice,” Suzy smirked.

“I’m serious! I don’t know anything about Arin. All I know is you talk to him all the time and…”

Suzy sits quietly.

“Are you sleeping with him?”

Suzy groans. “Jean stop.”

“You are!”

“I’m not doing anything stupid, alright.”

“Really? Sneaking around and lying seems pretty stupid to me.”

“What’s stupid is that we’re still talking about this. I love Arin, alright? You’re not going to stop that.”

“You’re still young. You can’t just say that you love him.”

Suzy shakes her head. “I love him. And you’re going to have to get used to it.”

Jean stays quiet.

“I want to marry him.”

“No.”

“Not immediately you idiot. But I want to get to see him everyday. You can’t be mad at me for wanting to live my dreams.”

“I can be mad at you for having stupid dreams. The fact that you won’t tell me anything about him means there must be something bad about him, right? Otherwise, why keep him a secret from mom and dad? Why keep him secret from me?”

“Just because I don’t tell you everything doesn’t make me a liar. It means I have a life. Try getting your own.”

Jean stands up angrily. “I’m done talking to you. You’re being fucking stupid.”

Suzy watches her leave and lays down on her bed. Hopefully all of the tension between her and her sister would end soon.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading there will be more chapters of this coming very soon and it will be very dramatic
> 
> Construction criticism is encouraged and please send me prompts on turtleinabriefcase.tumblr.com so I can put out more content when I'm less busy :)


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